Florida A&M names Holmes head coach

Tallahassee, FL (Sports Network) - Florida A&M University named Earl Holmes as
its new head football coach Friday.

Holmes' contract, which is for four years with an annual salary of $200,000,
still needs to be approved by the FAMU board of trustees.

Holmes had been the defensive coordinator for the Rattlers the last two years
and served as the team's interim coach for the final two games of this past
season after Joe Taylor stepped down on Nov. 8 during his fifth season with
the school.

The Rattlers went 1-1 under Holmes and finished the season with a 4-7 record.

"We are excited about the new era of FAMU football under the leadership of
Earl," Florida A&M director of athletics Derek Horne said. "He has done an
awesome job of transitioning immediately to acting coach and maintaining the
program through this crucial recruiting period. We look forward to his
dedicated efforts in this next level of leadership."

Holmes was a linebacker for the Rattlers from 1992-95 and is the school's all-
time leading tackler with 509.

He was then taken in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Pittsburgh
Steelers and had a 10-year career in the league, also playing with the
Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions.